December Garden Guide

Time to look back

Also, I try to think of the positives – after the 21st of December, the days will start to get longer again! The best advice I can give is to use December as a month to reflect. What worked well for you? What would you change? Has it been a good year? Have a chat with your neighbours or fellow plot holders at the allotment and share your success stories and tips. Ask to do some seed swaps or do some armchair gardening with those seed catalogues you’ve been collecting.

Having a shed in your garden is a god send when it comes to these cold and wet, winter months. Make yourself a cup of tea and have a good tidy up of all your equipment that’s been piling up in your shed from those busy summer months. Make a list of items that need to be replaced. Bamboo canes, netting, compost, stakes, pegs – the list is endless. You can even get creative by up-cycling wood to make some plant labels by painting them with blackboard paint.

Apple and pear winter pruning

If you’re lucky enough to have an established freestanding (not trained such as cordons, espalier, fans etc) apple or pear tree, now’s the time to do some winter pruning. Winter pruning can happen as soon as the leaves have fallen which usually happens from December to February.

First, ensure the weather on the day is going to be dry and check that there isn’t going to be a frost the following morning as this could damage the tree if fresh wounds are open from pruning. Secondly, make sure your secateurs and loppers are clean and sharp. Always plan your pruning, never take off more than a third off the tree at any time. I always start with the 3 D’s rule – dead, damaged or diseased. Remove any branches that have any of these signs.

Bug hotels

Bug hotels are a great idea if you want to help introduce more wildlife to your gardens. Insects need safe spaces to shelter and protect themselves from predators so building something for the winter months will help. Plus, it’s great fun for any age!

Bug hotels can be any size and positioned anywhere, but having a variety of different ones will help with diversity in your gardens. Bees, woodlice, ladybirds and beetles may pay a visit to your hotel even hedgehogs and frogs. I’ve created mine with a few bricks and part of a pallet which is stuffed with pinecones, straw, leaves, and bamboo canes which I no longer use in the garden. I’ve chopped the canes into small sections so the hollow canes can be accommodated. I’ve also popped a few old plant pots on their side and have noticed these are great to dot between herbaceous borders or ponds.

Piles of logs, large sticks & decaying wood are other great ways to attract a different variety of bugs. Centipede, earwigs and woodlice love to dig and burrow into decaying wood but this will also attract birds due to the critters living there.

Keep on harvesting

Many crops in the brassica family also taste better after a frost, such as kale, sprouts and cabbages as their leaves will tenderise. Leeks are another frost friendly vegetable; winter leeks can be harvested over the whole winter becoming an excellent staple to add to your veg garden.

There is still a surprising amount of vegetables to be harvested in the depths of December, like kale, cabbage, cauliflowers and also sprouts. Keep the crop free of any yellow leaves and keep the weeds at bay. Keep an eye out for any pest damages – mice love fresh shoots on broad beans seedlings – always use humane traps over poison.

Keep your cabbages netted to protect them from pigeons. This time of year, they are likely to strip the leaves bare as there is less to eat. Also remove rotten fruit from your fruit trees. Apples, pears and plums can be affected by brown rot, and if left on the tree this can then spread disease. Don’t compost these fruits as the pathogens can sometimes survive compost piles.